Burial-casket.



No. 640,624. Patenied Jan. 2, 1900. Z. T. BOICOURT.

BURIAL CASKET.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.)

(No Model.)

IMVLNTOR.

BY K

ATTORNEY WITNESSES THE uonms PEYtRS c0. mom-urns WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZAOIIARY T. BOIOOURT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CASKET LID ADJUSTMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BURlAL-QASKET.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 640,624, dated January 2, 1900.

Application filed April 10, 1899.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ZACHARY T, BOICOURT, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Burial-Casket; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

This invention consists in the improved means hereinafter claimed for handling the lid of a casket and especially for attaching the lid when it is removed to the body of the casket either by suspending it to one side, tilting it up on one edge, or holding it in a horizontal position to one side of the body of the casket.

The nature of this invention will more fully appear from the accompanying drawings and the description and claims following.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a casket with the lid suspended beside it, part of the cloth covering being torn away to disclose one hinge-plate. Fig. 2 is a plan of the lid upside down, with the cloth torn away to disclose one set of the hooks. Fig. 3 is a cross vertical section of the casket with the lid tipped up on one edge. Fig. 4 is the same with the lid suspended at one side. Fig. 5 is the same with the lid supported horizontally on one side. Fig. 6 is a plan of the hingeplate. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same hinge-plate with one of the locking-hooks connected therewith. Fig. 8 is a plan of one of the locking-hooks. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 10 is a central vertical cross-section through the same.

In detail, 1 represents the body of a casket, and 2 the lid thereof. In the edge of one side of the body of the casket there are placed two or more recesses 3. On the edge of the other side of the body of the casket I place a pair of the hinge-plates 4, to be seen in Fig. 6. Said hinge-plates also provide a pair of recesses 5, that correspond with and are opposite to the recesses 3 on the other side, as ap pears in Fig. 1. Said plates also provide a second set of recesses 6 on one side of the body of the casket, the last mentioned re cesses being covered, when desired, by the hinged hooks 7. These hinged hooks have Serial No. 712,455. (No model.)

finger-pieces 8 on them, whereby they can be turned back, and the end is curved to form a hook, as appears in Figs. 4 and 7.

On the inside of the lid on each side there.- of I place a pair of spuds 9, secured integrally with plates'lO, that are fastened by screws to the lid. These spuds, four in number, engage the recesses 3 and 5 in the body of the casket when the lid is put in place. The pair of said spuds nearest the head of the casket is provided with spring-locks. These locks are formed as shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, and consist of a plate 11, having an upturned point 12, that passes through a suitable slot in the plate 10. The plate 11 is'elevated by the finger-piece 13 and is held down by a flat spring 14:, that is integral with and operates in a little casing 15. When the lid is putin place, the point or catch 12 of the plate 11 enters the slots 3 and 5, and since the spuds 9 also enter them the lid cannot be removed without first elevating the plate 11 to disengage the points 12 from the ends of said slots.

On one side of the casket-lid I place a catchtong ue 16, that corresponds with the fingerpiece 13 on that side, as is shown in Fig. 2. On one side also I provide a pair of rather long brackets 17, as appears in Figs. 1 and 2. They are straps secured at each end to the lid and are bent so as to be set ofi from the lid about one-half inch. At each end of the lid I also provide headed screws or pins 18. To the inside of each end of the body of the casket I secure the cords 19 with clasps 20, provided with a V-shaped slot to receive the headed pin '18. I also provide a brace 21, rather beveled at one end to fit against the molding 22 of the body of the casket and with the pin 23 in the other end.

a After describing the construction I will now describe the use and manipulation of the lid. When it is desired to suspend the lid beside th'e casket, it is moved over horizontally to the right, as shown in Fig. 4, and the hinged hooks 7 turned back, as shown, to engage the brackets 17. WVhen it is desired to tilt the lid upon the edge of the body of the casket, as appears in Fig. 3, the tongue 16 and the finger-pieces 13 are let into the recesses 3 to hold the lower edge of the lid, and it is held in a tilted position by the cords 19. When it is desired to place the lid in a horizontal position beside the casket, it is first placed in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and then turned up into a horizontal position,so that the brackets 17 not only rest in the hooks 7 of the hinge-plate, but the spuds 9 and the lock 12 enter the recesses 5 and look, thus making a very firm union that prevents the lid from being moved laterally in any direction Without unlocking the connection, and such looking union is almost strong enough to support the lid without any brace ;but it is preferable to employ the brace 21 by resting the lower end on the molding 22 beside the body of the casket and letting the pin 23 at the top engage the lid within the hollowed portion thereof, as is shown in Fig. 5.-

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A burialcasket including a body portion, a detachable lid, hooks hinged in the edge of one side of the body of the casket so that they can be closed or opened, and brackets secured to the inside of the lid within the edge of the body portion when the lid is in place thereon for engaging said hinged hooks and suspending the lid beside the body of the casket.

2. A burial-casket including a body portion, a detachable lid, hinge-plates secured on the edge of one side of the body of the casket provided with longitudinal recesses and hinged hooks adapted to be closed or opened outward, spuds on the lid adapted to enter the recesses in the hinged plate, and longitudinally extending brackets secured to the cover within the edge of the body of the casket when the cover is in place thereon and adapted to engage the hinged hooks when the lid is placed beside the body of the casket.

3. A burial-casket including a body portion, a removable lid, hinge-plates secured to the edge on one side of the body portion and provided with longitudinal recesses and hinged hooks that may be closed or opened outward and so arranged that when closed they will lie flush with the top of the hingeplate, longitudinally-extending brackets on the lid within the edge of the body of the casket when the lid is in place thereon, spuds secured to the inside of the lid to enter the recesses in the hinge-plate, a spring-lock to lock the spuds, and a brace for supporting the lid in ahorizontal position on one edge of the body of the casket.

4. A burial-casket including a body portion, a removable lid, the edges of one side of the body portion being provided with longitudinal recesses, tongues extending laterally from one side of the lid adapted to enter said recesses when the lid is turned on its edge, and a cord or link for connecting one end of the body of the casket with the corresponding end of the lid for holding the lid in its tilted position.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto afiined my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

' ZAGI-IARY T. BOIGOURT. Witnesses:

V. H. LooKWoon,

R. D. HAWKINS. 

